Habenaria exilis D.L.Jones 1998

Drawing by © Lewis Roberts and Wikimedia Website

EARLY

Common Name The Elongate Habenaria - In Australia - The Wispy Rein Orchid

Flower Size .32" " [8mm]

Found in Queensland Australia at elevations of 200 to 400 meters among grass in seasonally partially flooded sparse woodlands as a small to medium sized, hot growing epiphyte with vertical, fleshy, irregularily obovoid tubers giving rise to 2, basal, dark green, narrowly lanceolate to obliquely erect, acute to acuminate leaves that blooms in the summer and early fall on an erect, very slender, wiry, 8 to 20" [20 to 50 cm] long, provided with 3 to 4, lanceolate long acuminate sterile bracts, 7 to 15 flowered inflorescence with narrowly ovate, half as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying widely spaced, small flowers flowers

"Somewhat similar to H ferdinandii with both species having the smallest flowers in Australia but H fernandii is taller and has yellow, strongly fragrant flowers with a functional column while H exilis has non fragrant, white flowers with an aborted column." D L Jones 1998

Synonyms Pecteilis exilis (D.L.Jones) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones 2018

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Orchadian 12: 464 D L Jones 1998

Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006 photo fide;

Austral. Orchid Rev. 83(6): 51 M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones 2018 as Pecteilis exilis;

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